I've always loved participating in blog hops and when Lisa, a scrappy sister overseas, invited me to join her in a new one, I was excited. But, wait... there's a twist. We're not all blogging within a day or a short time frame. We're blog hopping week-by-week and tagging others along the way.
Lisa posted last Monday and tagged three people (myself included) and we're posting today, each tagging three more people. All of us are sharing a peek into our creative lives by answering the four questions below.
1. What am I working on?
It's now June and I'm fresh off the Layout a Day (LOAD) buzz. I scrapbooked every day during May, created 42 pages in all (see layouts here) and now it's time for a breather.
School is just about out and I'm ready to sit back and relax for a bit. May was full of scrapbooking, Glue Dots design team work, volunteering at school, birthday celebrations, field trips, recital prep, cheerleading practice and fundraising...on and on I could go.
Instead, I'm going to revise the question and answer: What do I wish to be working on? Children's books. A small handful of you know I'd love to be a published author/illustrator. As a visual artist (a.k.a. scrapbooker), I want to write and illustrate picture books and have several ideas in mind. Life gets in the way and I continue to put this dream on the back burner. I hope to work on a couple books this summer (fingers crossed).
2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?
Within my community of scrappers, I'm known as the EcoScrapbooker as I focus on eco-friendly scrapbooking and crafting. I don't always scrapbook with "green" products and this is often seen during LOADs as I'm in de-stashing mode and using what I have on hand. If I have to have new products, I prefer them to be recycled, FSC-certified with soy-based inks, and with all those other eco buzz words.
I often use black on my layouts, sometimes with paint, as a photo mat (with marker/cardstock) or a design element.
I love colorful pages, white space and trying new ways to scrapbook.
I'm all about bold designs and prefer trends in design over trendy paper. Banners, flags, doilies, hexagons, chevrons, washi tape and the color blue make me happy.
I like the option of scrapbooking on my phone with the PicsArt app for quick and convenient layouts, but I'll always be a paper-scrapbooker at heart and brings me to the next question.
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
I've scrapbooked since I was four and started writing stories in elementary school. I simply can not imagine life without a creative outlet. When I'm really in the zone, I feel like me. I'm usually listening to music on Pandora and making a mess in my craft room. It takes me away (ever so briefly) from mommyhood (the pet and human kind) and being a wife (even though my subjects are usually them).
I'm passionate about sharing my work with others and love the ability to create beautiful things that can be passed down over the generations.
I'm passionate about sharing my work with others and love the ability to create beautiful things that can be passed down over the generations.
4. How does your writing/creating process work?
Well, it depends. With LOAD, I usually have a set of photos I want to scrapbook, but let the daily prompts guide me. With design team work, the process usually starts with a holiday or theme. And sometimes my blog posts are about things I've done recently (like my DIY laundry soap).
Lately, Pinterest inspires me and I've taken full advantage of the app in recent months. My old phone didn't have the capabilities to handle the app, but now that I have an LG G2, my life on Pinterest has expanded exponentially! I often see a layout design on Pinterest and then make it my own after choosing the photos I want to use.
I work best when I'm alone and don't like distractions, so my girls are usually at school when I'm in creating-mode.
Okay, enough about me. This is the longest post I've written in a long time! Let's learn about the three people who are up next on Monday, June 9. (Note: I linked names to their Flickr pages since I met all of these talented ladies during the LOAD challenges.)
Valerie is passionate about living, laughing, loving and capturing it all in words and pictures. She started as a rubber stamper but it is scrapbooking and photography where she has found her bliss. Valerie adores her husband of 27 years and young adult sons - ages 18 and 23...and their dog, Harley. She loves to capture their stories and the tales of those around her. She comes from a long line of story tellers and scrapbooking has become a medium for embracing that legacy and passing it on to the next generation. Valerie describes her style as "Photojournalistic" scrapbooking. When photos show relationship and the words bring the photo to life...she falls in love with the art of scrapbooking all over again. You can visit Valerie at her blog, From Valerie's HeART.
GeeZee loves crafting and finding ways to use things in as many ways as possible in the life of that item. She doesn't like to throw things away. All that excess we send to the landfills bothers her. GeeZee likes to share with others and help keep discards from losing their identity completely. She also thrives on meeting new people and making new friends, sharing experiences and thoughts. GeeZee has mentors that have taught and encouraged her to think of things in a new way. Learn more about GeeZee at Messtaken Identity.
Emma is a mum of 4 children, 2 skinny pigs, a bearded dragon and a Jug puppy and she also has a happy husband who puts up with all the madness. Her passion, aside from her family, is scrapbooking. She's been a scrapbooker for over 10 years and loves it now as much as she did when she first started. Emma cannot imagine her life without paper, glue and a paper trimmer in it! Please join Emma at Scrappin is my life, where she shows you her creations and shares her passion and ideas with you.
Valerie is passionate about living, laughing, loving and capturing it all in words and pictures. She started as a rubber stamper but it is scrapbooking and photography where she has found her bliss. Valerie adores her husband of 27 years and young adult sons - ages 18 and 23...and their dog, Harley. She loves to capture their stories and the tales of those around her. She comes from a long line of story tellers and scrapbooking has become a medium for embracing that legacy and passing it on to the next generation. Valerie describes her style as "Photojournalistic" scrapbooking. When photos show relationship and the words bring the photo to life...she falls in love with the art of scrapbooking all over again. You can visit Valerie at her blog, From Valerie's HeART.
Emma is a mum of 4 children, 2 skinny pigs, a bearded dragon and a Jug puppy and she also has a happy husband who puts up with all the madness. Her passion, aside from her family, is scrapbooking. She's been a scrapbooker for over 10 years and loves it now as much as she did when she first started. Emma cannot imagine her life without paper, glue and a paper trimmer in it! Please join Emma at Scrappin is my life, where she shows you her creations and shares her passion and ideas with you.
